Hearing this, Zhou Shaojin’s small face immediately brightened, her eyes shining like jewels as she said: “Really?”

Cheng Chi laughed and patted her small head: “When have I ever lied to you?”

“Ow!” Zhou Shaojin touched her head and smiled bashfully.

Cheng Chi said: “The rain has passed and the sky has cleared?”

Zhou Shaojin’s face reddened, then remembering her purpose in seeking Cheng Chi, she quickly tugged at his sleeve and said quietly: “Uncle Chi, I, I’ll still listen to you and stay at Jiuru Lane!”

Cheng Chi was very surprised. After pondering for a moment, he said: “Did someone say something to you?”

She had thought Uncle Chi would be happy!

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed and said: “I figured it out myself! I don’t know what happened back then at all, nor which small details might be useful to you. It’s better to stay and help you sort through things. After you find clues, I can leave with peace of mind.”

Cheng Chi’s emotions surged, as if something wanted to burst forth—something so unfamiliar it made him uncomfortable.

This silly girl—after suffering such grievous harm that others would avoid at all costs, she had actually run back of her own accord.

Cheng Chi was silent for quite a while. When he spoke again, his voice carried a slight hoarseness: “Even if the Cheng family is raided, that won’t happen until eleven years from now. Your staying now won’t be of much use. It would be better for you to return to Baoding Prefecture with your stepmother. Moreover, Cheng Xu will return soon—didn’t you not want to see him again?”

Zhou Shaojin’s fingers twisted together as she lowered her eyes: “I, I will protect myself.” In her previous life she had buried her head in the sand like an ostrich, refusing to think about it—this life would be the same.

She raised her head and changed the subject: “Precisely because the Cheng family’s raid won’t happen until eleven years from now, I should stay even more. Uncle Chi, you know nothing, but I know what major events occurred during those eleven years. Isn’t there a saying: ‘Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles; without gathering small streams, one cannot form rivers and seas’? The Cheng family’s downfall certainly didn’t happen overnight. If we start investigating from now, we’ll gain more and be more secure than trying to find solutions at the last moment.”

Cheng Chi looked at the face before him that appeared especially bright with earnestness, couldn’t help pressing his lips together, and said gently: “Shaojin, you used ‘rebirth’ rather than ‘dream’ to describe your experience. Does this mean that your days in your previous life, like this life, required you to live through every breath, every moment, every hour?”

“Yes!” Zhou Shaojin didn’t know why Cheng Chi was asking her these things at this time, but she answered very honestly: “Sometimes the days felt especially long. I hoped it was a dream, that when I opened my eyes, I would return to the past—still playing grass games with Chun Wan on spring meadows, still sulking in my room because Elder Sister had more new clothes than me… Back then I thought, how wonderful it would be if I could return to the past… I never imagined that one day I truly would return to the past…”

But as Uncle Chi said, every breath, every moment, every hour she had to endure bit by bit.

Back then, it was truly a living death, yet she couldn’t die.

She lived at least to sustain Elder Sister, so Elder Sister wouldn’t be so heartbroken.

The corners of Cheng Chi’s mouth twitched as he smiled: “So don’t be sad! Look, how many people in this world are as fortunate as you? Clearly the Buddha takes pity on you too.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile, her large eyes curving into crescents.

Uncle Chi usually spoke cleanly and decisively, never hesitating, but just now his lips had twitched before he spoke. He certainly hadn’t meant to comfort her, but had wanted to ask her something, yet feared making her sad, so he changed his mind at the last moment.

She couldn’t help biting her lip.

What exactly did Uncle Chi want to ask her?

Could it be related to her violation?

If not for the fact that the Cheng family was ultimately exterminated with not a single person escaping, she would suspect the Cheng family’s fate was the result of secret struggles between the second and third branches.

But she felt the Cheng family’s raid certainly wasn’t simply private grudges.

No matter how much the second and third branches fought, they couldn’t possibly bring down all of Jiuru Lane.

However, what if Jiuru Lane’s fate was the result of struggles between the first and second branches?

Then she absolutely had to tell Cheng Chi about the garden incident.

Zhou Shaojin’s mind was a bit muddled.

Cheng Chi was already saying: “Shaojin, it’s been quite some time since you’ve seen your father, hasn’t it? Baoding is a decent place. You might as well follow your original wish and return to Baoding with your stepmother to have a good reunion with your father. When spring comes next year, I’ll come fetch you back to Jinling Prefecture to stay with my mother for a while…”

Why did he want her to stay in Baoding for a while?

The back-and-forth journey was very troublesome and tiring.

Otherwise why would the elderly say “One who never leaves home for a lifetime is a blessed person”?

Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi in confusion.

Cheng Chi’s eyes were as clear and bright as stars in the night sky untouched by dust, yet now they seemed somewhat dim.

Zhou Shaojin suddenly understood.

The autumn examinations in August.

To avoid the summer heat and to adjust body and mind to the best state before the exams, Cheng Xu should return to Jiuru Lane in spring.

Uncle Chi knew everything, didn’t he?

Whether she spoke or not?

With Uncle Chi’s intelligence and capability, how could he not know?

Her eyes grew moist again uncontrollably—she didn’t know if it was because of Uncle Chi’s silent care and meticulous thoughtfulness, or because of those unbearable memories that had been buried deep in her heart but surfaced with recollection.

Zhou Shaojin lowered her head.

She didn’t want to appear so weak before Uncle Chi, but somehow she kept losing control of her composure.

To prevent Cheng Chi from noticing, she quickly wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.

Cheng Chi watched Zhou Shaojin, clearly very sad yet forcing herself to hide it, and sighed helplessly in his heart.

He reached out his hand, wanting to pat her head comfortingly, but with his hand halfway there, he felt it inappropriate.

She was a delicate young girl, not one of his roaming companions.

Cheng Chi’s hand paused, then finally landed on top of Zhou Shaojin’s head. He affectionately stroked her hair and said in a deep voice: “Be good and listen. I’ll come fetch you next spring. Have a proper New Year with your father in Baoding Prefecture.” Saying this, he thought of his promise and added, “If I pass through Baoding Prefecture, I’ll definitely visit your home. You must remember to make me some snacks to eat—and they must be good ones. I won’t eat poorly made snacks.”

“Uncle Chi!” The tears from two lifetimes weighed like ten thousand pounds and burst forth. Zhou Shaojin threw herself into Cheng Chi’s arms, hugging his waist and sobbing: “Uncle Chi… Uncle Chi…”

Cheng Chi’s heart also felt somewhat sour.

Pain that cannot be shared torments people most.

That kind of loneliness and isolation—those who haven’t experienced it cannot understand.

“There, there, don’t cry.” He gently stroked her dark hair, tender and patient.

But Zhou Shaojin cried even harder.

Cheng Chi let her cry, only making his comforting motions even gentler.

Zhou Shaojin cried her heart out until the world seemed dark.

But Cheng Chi’s doubts only deepened.

Finally, when Zhou Shaojin had cried enough and was bashfully lowering her head to wipe her tears, he couldn’t help saying: “Shaojin, why didn’t you marry Jiashan?”

Shaojin wasn’t the daughter of some humble household, and Zhou Zhen wasn’t the type to sell his daughter for glory. If something had happened, the Cheng family couldn’t possibly suppress it—the only option would be to smooth things over.

Zhou Shaojin knew she couldn’t avoid this topic.

But as long as she didn’t have to describe it orally herself, she could endure.

“I wasn’t willing to marry him!” she said in a voice like a mosquito’s buzz.

Cheng Chi found this even stranger, but afraid of frightening her, he said gently: “Why weren’t you willing to marry him?”

Usually when people encountered such situations, didn’t they resign themselves to fate? Moreover, Shaojin’s temperament was so gentle.

Zhou Shaojin said quietly: “Madam Yuan wanted to marry a young lady from the Min clan of Fujian as her daughter-in-law. I didn’t want to look at her expression.”

This answer greatly surprised Cheng Chi.

Shaojin actually had such a stubborn side… but she was also very clever!

Yuan Shi was the type who valued what she couldn’t have more highly.

Shaojin’s insistence would only make Yuan Shi despise her.

So Shaojin ended up marrying Lin Shisheng and becoming a nominal couple with him.

Thinking of this, Cheng Chi couldn’t help falling into deep thought.

The room suddenly became utterly quiet, so silent a pin drop could be heard.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help raising her eyes to look at Cheng Chi.

Cheng Chi’s brows were slightly furrowed, his expression stern, as if he had encountered some great difficulty.

Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat worried and softly called: “Uncle Chi.”

Cheng Chi came back to himself, smiled at her reassuringly, then said carefully: “Shaojin, I was thinking—the Cheng family has considerable wealth and former students and old friends throughout the court. For the new emperor to deal with the Cheng family, he could only use thunderous methods, striking with lightning speed to execute the Cheng family on the spot. Those in the capital would certainly be handled by the Court of Judicial Review, women and children in Jinling City would certainly be handled by Jinling Prefecture, and as for those serving as officials elsewhere, they would mostly be executed on the spot by various garrisons…”

Zhou Shaojin looked at Cheng Chi with eyes full of admiration.

Uncle Chi had only heard her fragmentary words, yet as if he had witnessed it himself, his guess was completely correct!

She nodded repeatedly.

But Cheng Chi changed the subject: “Shaojin, when you were reborn, what official position did your father hold?”

Zhou Shaojin knew she didn’t have Cheng Chi’s wisdom, so she didn’t try to guess too much at his intentions. She only needed to answer his questions honestly.

She obediently said: “Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guangdong.”

Cheng Chi was stunned.

After a long while, he asked again: “Then what official position did your brother-in-law hold?”

Zhou Shaojin’s mouth opened and closed like a fish thrown onto shore, unable to breathe.

Her brother-in-law Liao Shaotang had been Junior Administrator of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices before her rebirth, fourth rank, and also concurrently served as Lecturer of the Hanlin Academy.

Thirty-two years old!

And Liao Shaotang had been a jinshi graduate in the Xinchou year of Zhide 24.

Then he was selected as a Hanlin bachelor and observed government in the Ministry of Personnel for three years.

After the examination, he was directly retained at the Ministry of Personnel as a Supervising Secretary.

In other words, he had risen from seventh rank to fourth rank in just four short years.

“No, no, no!” Zhou Shaojin murmured, grabbing Cheng Chi’s hand. Her grip was so strong that Cheng Chi wondered if she had used all her body’s strength: “This isn’t true, it isn’t true! My brother-in-law is a good person—he couldn’t possibly do such things…”

The Liao family had long declined. Without the Cheng family’s support behind him, no matter how naturally gifted her brother-in-law was, he couldn’t possibly have accomplished in just a few years what others couldn’t achieve in a lifetime.

How had she never noticed this before!